Moors (Spanish moros) are all those Berber tribes living in North Africa – partly as nomads – who have lived in Morocco for centuries. At the time of Roman rule in North Africa, they partly lived outside the Roman province.
The etymology of the term Moors is derived from the Berber language. The term ” Amur” and “Tamurt” mean ” the land and the homeland” in Berber. The name of the Roman Berber province “Mauritania” as well as the name of the city “Marrakech” (translation: Amur n akech = The Land of God. Akuch, Akech = God in Berber) also go back to this term. The ancient derivation from Greek mauros “dark” refers to the skin colour of the Moors, because some Moors had somewhat darker skin. Some ancient historians referred to the area as “Maurusia”. The Moors in turn gave their name to the ancient empire of Mauritania, the Roman provinces of Mauretania Caesariensis and Mauretania Tingitana, and the modern state of Mauritania.
Source: Mœurs, usages et costumes de tous les peuples du monde, d’après des documents and authentiques et les voyages des plus récents; Publié par Auguste Wahlen. Chevalier de Plusieurs Orders. Europe. Bruxelles, a la Librairie Historique-Artistique, Rue de Schaerbeek, 12. 1844.
